Giulia Dragoni

Giulia Dragoni (born 7 November 2006) is an Italian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Primera Federación club Barcelona B and the Italy women's national team.

Giulia Dragoni
Personal information
Date of birth (2006-11-07) 7 November 2006
Place of birth Milan, Italy
Height 1.65 m (5 ft 5 in)
Position(s) Midfielder
Team information
Current team
 Barcelona B
Number 15
Youth career
2015–2020 Pro Sesto
2020–2022 Inter Milan
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2022-2023 Inter Milan 4 (0)
2023– Barcelona B 10 (4)
2023– Barcelona 0 (0)
International career‡
2021–2022 Italy U16 3 (1)
2021–2023 Italy U17 16 (8)
2022– Italy U19 5 (2)
2023– Italy 4 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 1 July 2023
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 2 August 2023

Club career

Early life and Inter Milan

Born in Milan, Italy,[1] Dragoni started playing football at the age of four,[2] joining grassroots club Franco Scarioni,[3][4] before moving to Cimiano,[2][3][4] and then entering the junior academy of Pro Sesto in 2015.[2][3] Here, she first came to prominence for her performances in mixed-sex junior championships,[1][5] where she played until 2019,[1] earning the nickname "Little Messi".[1][4][6]

Having first joined Inter Milan on trial for a youth tournament in 2018,[7] Dragoni officially entered the club's youth sector in the summer of 2020.[1][4][5] During the 2020–21 campaign, following the halt of several youth leagues due to the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic,[7] she was promoted to Inter's under-19 squad, aged just 14,[4][7] and contributed to a third-place finish in the national championship.[5][8]

Having been promoted to Inter's first team at the start of the 2022–23 season, under head coach Rita Guarino,[4][9] Dragoni made her professional debut on 20 November 2022, coming in as a substitute for Ghoutia Karchouni in the 74th minute of a goalless league draw against Fiorentina.[4][10] Having just turned 16 years old, she became the youngest player to ever feature in a Serie A match since the league had achieved full-time professional status.[6] She went on to make three more appearances for Inter's senior team before the end of 2022.[4][5][6]

Barcelona

On 31 January 2023, Dragoni officially joined Spanish side Barcelona on a permanent deal, signing a contract until June 2025.[1][4][11] In the process, she became the first non-Spanish member of the women's team setup to reside at La Masia.[1][4][6] Having been registered for the club's reserve team, Barcelona B,[6][11] she scored her first goal for the side on 5 March, in a 3–0 league win over Athletic B.[12] In her first season at the club, she helped Barcelona B win the second-tier title,[6][13] having scored four goals in ten matches;[5][13] she was also included in the first team's title-winning UEFA Women's Champions League squad, despite not featuring in any of their matches.[6][14]

At the start of the 2023–24 season, Dragoni was officially promoted to Barcelona's first team, while still being a part of Barcelona B's roster.[15]

International career

Dragoni has represented Italy at various youth international levels, having played for the under-16, under-17[1][4] and under-19 national teams.[6][16]

In March 2023 she received her first call-up to the Italian senior national team for the friendly match against Colombia.[17] In June of the same year, she was included in the preliminary squad for the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup by head coach Milena Bertolini.[18][19] She subsequently made her debut for the Azzurre on 1 July, coming on as a substitute in the second half of a friendly match against Morocco, which ended in a goalless draw:[20][21] at 16 years and 236 days, she became the youngest person to represent an Italian senior national football team in the 21st century,[6] but did not beat the all-time record, originally established by Carolina Morace in 1978.[6][14]

The following day, she was officially included in the final 23-women squad for the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, aged just 16;[6][22][23] in the process, she became the second youngest player to get called up for the tournament, behind only Casey Phair.[24][25] On 24 July 2023, Dragoni started in a 1–0 group stage win over Argentina:[26][27] at 16 years and 259 days,[26] she became the youngest player to ever represent the Azzurre in the competition's history,[28][29] a record that previously belonged to Rita Guarino,[28][30] while also overtaking Giuseppe Bergomi as Italy's youngest player to take part in any World Cup match, including both men's and women's football.[5][30] She also became the second-youngest European player to feature in a FIFA Women's World Cup game.[29]

Style of play

Dragoni mainly operates as a midfielder in the mezzala role;[5] she is best known for her dribbling skills,[5][7] as well as her ball control, her passing and her tactical intelligence.[5]

References
  1. "Giulia Dragoni, la piccola Messi va a Barcellona: prima calciatrice straniera alla Cantera". Il Giorno. 31 January 2023. Retrieved 2 July 2023.
  2. Lignelli, Matteo (29 June 2023). "Giulia Dragoni: "La nuova vita tra Barça e Nazionale. Grazie a un segreto di papà"". Cronache di spogliatoio. Retrieved 2 July 2023.
  3. Cannatà, Fabio (17 May 2017). "Guarda guarda in campo c'è, una nuova giocatrice: Giulia Dragoni!" (in Italian). Sprint e Sport. Retrieved 4 July 2023.
  4. Griñán, Marta (31 January 2023). "Giulia Dragoni, la primera perla internacional de La Masia". Diario AS (in European Spanish). Retrieved 4 July 2023.
  5. "Perché l'esordio di Giulia Dragoni è importante". L'Ultimo Uomo (in Italian). 25 July 2023. Retrieved 26 July 2023.
  6. Burhan, Asif (3 July 2023). "Giulia Dragoni Set To Play At Women's World Cup Aged 16". Forbes. Retrieved 3 July 2023.
  7. Ferrio, Edoardo (24 April 2021). "Quattordici anni e non sentirli, ecco a voi Giulia Dragoni". La Giovane Italia News (in Italian). Retrieved 4 July 2023.
  8. "L'Inter batte la Florentia ai calci di rigore e chiude al terzo posto il Campionato Primavera". FIGC (in Italian). 29 May 2021. Retrieved 4 July 2023.
  9. Ricci, Filippo Maria (2 February 2022). "Dal Cimiano al Barça, il sogno della ragazza che dribblava i maschi". La Gazzetta dello Sport (in Italian). Retrieved 4 July 2023.
  10. Iannucci, Federica (20 November 2022). "Termina con un pareggio senza reti la sfida tra la Fiorentina femminile e l'Inter Women". L Football (in Italian). Retrieved 4 July 2023.
  11. "Giulia Dragoni arriba a La Masia". FC Barcelona (in Catalan). 31 January 2023. Retrieved 4 July 2023.
  12. Ricchiuti, Rita (6 March 2023). "Primo gol per Giulia Dragoni con il Barcellona". L Football (in Italian). Retrieved 4 July 2023.
  13. Griñán, Marta (3 July 2023). "Del Barça B al sueño del Mundial". Diario AS (in European Spanish). Retrieved 4 July 2023.
  14. "Giulia Dragoni ai Mondiali: da Forbes alla BBC, all'estero tutti ne parlano". L Football (in Italian). 3 July 2023. Retrieved 4 July 2023.
  15. Gascón, Javier (7 September 2023). "El '7' de Salma, el '22' de Ona y el '24 de Brugts, novedades en los dorsales". Mundo Deportivo (in European Spanish). Retrieved 8 September 2023.
  16. "Italia, la partenza è quella giusta: a Vercelli superata la Grecia per 4–0. Mazzantini: "Gara interpretata al meglio"". FIGC (in Italian). 5 April 2023. Retrieved 4 July 2023.
  17. "Verso il Mondiale: trenta convocate per l'amichevole con la Colombia, prima chiamata per Beccari, Dragoni, Pavan e Schatzer". FIGC (in Italian). 29 March 2023. Retrieved 4 July 2023.
  18. "Da lunedì a Brunico 32 Azzurre si giocano il posto per il Mondiale. Il 1° luglio test con il Marocco in diretta su Rai 2". FIGC (in Italian). 23 June 2023. Retrieved 4 July 2023.
  19. Iannucci, Federica (23 June 2023). "Nazionale femminile, le 32 convocate per la seconda parte del raduno pre Mondiale". L Football (in Italian). Retrieved 4 July 2023.
  20. "Regge il muro del Marocco: l'ultimo test prima della partenza per la Nuova Zelanda finisce 0–0. Bertolini: "Meglio nel secondo tempo"". FIGC (in Italian). 1 July 2023. Retrieved 4 July 2023.
  21. Scognamiglio, Pietro (1 July 2023). "Italia, col Marocco tante giovani e l'esordio di Dragoni". La Gazzetta dello Sport (in Italian). Retrieved 4 July 2023.
  22. "Italy name 16-year-old Dragoni in World Cup squad". BBC Sport. 2 July 2023. Retrieved 3 July 2023.
  23. "Verso il Mondiale, ufficializzata la lista delle 25 Azzurre in partenza per la Nuova Zelanda". FIGC (in Italian). 2 July 2023. Retrieved 4 July 2023.
  24. Pozzoli, Martina (14 July 2023). "Da Giulia Dragoni a Casey Phair: le giovanissime calciatrici al Mondiale". L Football (in Italian). Retrieved 20 July 2023.
  25. Nava, Matteo (21 July 2023). "I test sbriciolati, la Masia, il Mondiale a 16 anni: la scalata di Giulia Dragoni". La Gazzetta dello Sport (in Italian). Retrieved 22 July 2023.
  26. "Girelli decisive as Italy beat Argentina". BBC Sport. 24 July 2023. Retrieved 24 July 2023.
  27. Scognamiglio, Pietro (24 July 2023). "Mondiale donne, è subito grande Italia! L'eterna Girelli affonda l'Argentina". La Gazzetta dello Sport (in Italian). Retrieved 24 July 2023.
  28. Pozzoli, Martina (24 July 2023). "Giulia Dragoni è la più giovane italiana di sempre a debuttare in un mondiale". L Football (in Italian). Retrieved 24 July 2023.
  29. Morse, Ben (24 July 2023). "Italy wins 1-0 against Argentina as 16-year-old 'Little Messi' Giulia Dragoni makes debut at Women's World Cup". CNN. Retrieved 24 July 2023.
  30. Ferri, Alessandro (24 July 2023). "Giulia Dragoni "polverizza" Beppe Bergomi: è l'azzurra più giovane di sempre ai Mondiali". Goal.com (in Italian). Retrieved 24 July 2023.
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